Zachary Cohn, profile picture
Uploaded byZachary Cohn
45,902 views

18 Tips on Conducting Killer Customers Interviews

This document outlines effective techniques and rules for conducting customer interviews to uncover true customer problems and needs. Key rules include avoiding leading questions, understanding past behavior as a predictor of future behavior, and using storytelling to gain deeper insights. The document also presents methods to elicit rich narratives from interviewees to better inform product development.

Embed presentation

Downloaded 692 times
Everything you need to know in 100 slides or less* 18 Tips and Tricks on Conducting A Killer 
 Customer Interview Customer Interviews *The slides are short. It’ll go fast, I promise. Want to learn even more? We’re writing a book: Pre-Agile Methodologies: A Tactical Guide To Not Building The Best Wrong Thing. Go to http://bit.ly/PreAgileBook to never build the wrong thing again.
Startups, SMBs, or F500 How Do Companies Die? Customer Interviews Step 1) Stop building what people want.* Step 2) ??? Step 3) Run out of money. *This assumes no tax fraud or other illegal activity. But if you had to learn that from a SlideShare presentation, maybe you should be in another line of work. Like working for Enron.
No one TRIES to disregard customers. The Status Quo Customer Interviews Sometimes they listen to the wrong sources. 
 Sometimes the customers they’re listening to are no longer representative of where the market is going. And sometimes, like in the case of millennials, it’s a new customer segment that isn’t well understood.
How do companies listen now? The Status Quo Customer Interviews • Market Research Reports • Trend Analysis • Competitive Analysis • “Keeping up with the Joneses” • Intuition • Solving their own problems
Stuff people don’t care about Customer Interviews 1. Corporate initiatives 2. Internal Politics 3. Industry Trends 4. Features 5. Technology
Stuff people DO care about Customer Interviews 1. Having their problems solved.
So how do you know how to solve their problems? Customer Interviews
... How do you even know what their problems are? Customer Interviews
By talking directly to customers. Customer Interviews
Because it turns out... Customer Interviews
You are not Charles Xavier. Customer Interviews
So why try to read minds... ... when you could just ask them? Customer Interviews
Part 1: The Rules to Customer Interviews Part 2: Techniques For Getting Stories Part 3: FAQ What do we need to know? Customer Interviews
Rule #1: No Ice Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
Rule #1: No Ice Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
Rule #1: No Ice Cream Questions The Rules Customer Interviews The answer to the question 
 “Do you want ice cream?” 
 is always “Yes!”
Rule #1: No Ice Cream Questions The Rules Customer Interviews What sane and rational person would answer “No” to this question?
Rule #1: No Ice Cream Questions The Rules Customer Interviews But the answer to the question “Do you want this ice cream that costs $250?” might turn out to be “... No.”
Rule #1: No Ice Cream Questions The Rules Customer Interviews Ice cream questions are when you withhold information and don’t reveal all the costs associated with a benefit.
Rule #1: No Ice Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
Rule #2: Pull, don’t Push The Rules Customer Interviews The goal of these interviews is to learn about their problems. You want to PULL information out of your interviewee. 
 You do not want to PUSH your ideas on to them. For example...
Rule #1: No Ice Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
Rule #3: No Leading Questions The Rules Customer Interviews Subjects answering the question: “Do you get headaches frequently and, if so, how often?” reported an average of 2.2 headaches per week.
Rule #3: No Leading Questions The Rules Customer Interviews While subjects answering the question 'Do you get headaches occasionally and, if so, how often?' reported only 0.7 per week. [John Hayes, Interpersonal Skills at Work. Routledge, 2002 referencing Loftus (1975)]
Rule #3: No Leading Questions The Rules Customer Interviews You’ve suggested the answer is by the phrasing of the question You’ve lead them to where you want them... which is Push. 
 Remember, you want to PULL information out of them.
Rule #3: No Leading Questions The Rules Customer Interviews Decisions based on bad data are worse than decisions based on no data.
Rule #1: No Ice Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
Rule #4: Past Behavior vs Future Behavior The Rules Customer Interviews “How often are you going to work out at the gym next year?” “I’m going to work out 3 times a week, every week.” “How many times a week have you been working out?” “Uh... zero.”
Rule #4: Past Behavior vs Future Behavior The Rules Customer Interviews “How often are you going to work out at the gym next year?” “I’m going to work out 3 times a week, every week.” “How many times a week have you been working out?” “Twice a week, every week.”
Rule #4: Past Behavior vs Future Behavior The Rules Customer Interviews It is incredibly difficult and rare for people to drastically alter their behavior. What a person HAS been doing is a great predictor of what they will do in the future.
Rule #1: No Ice Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self The Rules Customer Interviews “Please describe your diet.” “I eat mostly Paleo. Meats, veggies, nuts... a little bit of fruit, sometimes milk.”
Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self The Rules Customer Interviews “Describe your last meal.” “We were in a rush to get to the Kanye concert, so I grabbed a slice of pizza on the way. After the show, we grabbed some Hot Dogs from a street vendor, then when I came home I had gummy bears and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”* *This example, unfortunately, is not fictional.
Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self The Rules Customer Interviews If you ask someone to describe themselves, they will tell you about their Ideal Self. How they see themselves. How they want to be. Ask for a story about “the last time,” and you will discover their Actual Selves.
Rule #1: No Ice Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
Rule #6: No Pitching The Rules Customer Interviews “Would you use a shampoo that made your dog not smell bad anymore?”
Rule #6: No Pitching The Rules Customer Interviews 1. Possible violation of Rule #1: There is probably more information they need to give a real answer. 2. Violating Rule #2: You’re supposed to be looking for (pulling) problems, not pushing solutions. 3. Violating Rule #4: Past behavior/Future Behavior 4. Violating Rule #5: Ideal Self vs. Actual Self
Rule #1: No Ice Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof The Rules Customer Interviews “N” is a statistical term for sample size. “N of 1” means you have a sample size of 1. That’s not good.
Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof The Rules Customer Interviews You’re looking for qualitative data, not quantitative. You don’t need to achieve statistical significance. 
 But making decisions based on what you learned from a single person is dangerous.
Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof The Rules Customer Interviews Examples: 
 “I ride the bus. This product is solving my problem, so I know what I need to do.” “The guy on the bus said he doesn’t really care how long he waits for the bus, so we’re pivoting to something different.” “The woman at the bus stop said she always checks the bus schedule online before she leaves, so we’re definitely on to something!” 

Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof The Rules Customer Interviews Any one of these behaviors could be representative of a larger population. 
 But, any of these behaviors could also be exceptions to the norm. Keep interviewing people until you’re hearing the same stories over and over and over again.

Rule #1: No Ice Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
Rule #8: No Seeding The Rules Customer Interviews Jump straight into the first question. Do not tell the interview subject what your research is about. If you frame the context, they’ll answer within that context... which means they’ll try to give you the answers they think you want to hear.
Rule #1: No Ice Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
Rule #9: Stories > Statements The Rules Customer Interviews “Have you traveled recently?” vs. “Tell me about the last time you traveled.”
Rule #9: Stories > Statements The Rules Customer Interviews “Yes or No” questions: • Don’t provide deeper insights • Constrict the conversation • Don’t build rapport Getting someone to tell stories • Lets them lead the conversation • Reveals insights you couldn’t predict • Builds rapport and trust
Once you get someone telling stories, it’s hard to get them to stop. Customer Interviews
So how do you get someone telling stories? Customer Interviews
Technique #1: “Tell me about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
Technique #1: “Tell me about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
Technique #1: Tell me about the last time... Getting Stories Customer Interviews It’s hard to come up with “the best/worst time” something happened, but it’s easy to remember the last time. 
 And often, once they tell you about the last time, they’ll say “But that was nothing compared to THIS OTHER TIME...”
Technique #1: Tell me about the last time... Getting Stories Customer Interviews “Tell me about the last time you travelled out of the state.” 
 “Tell me about the last time you went to a concert.” “Tell me about the last time you went on a first date.”
Technique #1: “Tell me about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
Technique #2: 5 Why’s Getting Stories Customer Interviews Every time they make a statement, ask why. Use this technique to get to the underlying cause or to identify some root emotion. (5 isn’t a set number. It could be 3, or 7, or 12.)
Technique #2: 5 Why’s Getting Stories Customer Interviews “I want to start going to the gym.” Why? “Because I want to be strong and fit.” Why? “Because I want to be healthy.” Why? “Because I don’t want to die of a heart attack when I’m 40.” Why? “Because my dad died of a heart attack when he was 40..” Okay. That’s interesting! Now we understand their motivations. But why so many why’s?

Technique #2: 5 Why’s Getting Stories Customer Interviews “I want to start going to the gym.” Why? “Because I want to be strong and fit.” Why? “Because I want to girls to like me.” Why? “Because I’ve only ever dated one person.” Why? Because I’m not good at connecting with people on an emotional level.” See how their motivations diverged... but only a few levels down?

Technique #1: “Tell me about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Getting Stories Customer Interviews Sometimes people will stop talking or end a story, but it feels like there’s more. Maybe it feels like a good place to end, maybe they feel like they’ve been talking too long, or they’re a little hesitant to share the next part. Simply prompting someone to “tell you more” will often result in deeper, more interesting stories.
Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Getting Stories Customer Interviews “I went to Sicily last summer. I figured I wouldn’t end up sorting through a bunch of pictures, so I didn’t bother taking any.” 
 Tell me more?
 “I used to take thousands of pictures of vacations with my fancy DSLR, but I have never looked through a single set. So I just stopped taking pictures.”
Technique #1: “Tell me about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Getting Stories Customer Interviews Another technique to get people to elaborate on something they just said. “What do you mean by ‘If it wasn’t for your horse, you wouldn’t have spent that year in college.”
Technique #1: “Tell me about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
Technique #5: “How are you dealing...” Getting Stories Customer Interviews Does the interviewee have any solution to their problem right now? Does it do the job effectively? Are they happy with it? ... or are they ignoring the problem completely?
Technique #5: “How are you dealing...” Getting Stories Customer Interviews You can learn a lot by knowing how they deal with their problem today.
Technique #1: “Tell me about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
Technique #6: Silence is Golden. Getting Stories Customer Interviews
Technique #6: Silence is Golden. Getting Stories Customer Interviews See. Wasn’t that a little awkward? People seek to fill silence. Look expectant that there’s more they want to say. 
 Let them be the one to fill the silence.
Technique #6: Silence is Golden. Getting Stories Customer Interviews Often this is when they’ll start talking about something you never thought to ask.
Technique #1: “Tell me about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
Technique #7: Walk away. Getting Stories Customer Interviews When you end the interview, the dynamic of the conversation changes. 
 If you’re having trouble getting an interview subject to open up, end the interview a bit abruptly. As you prepare to move on, make small talk. Often the subject will be much more relaxed, forthcoming, and you can continue without them realizing it.
Question #1: “How do I get them to talk to me?” Question #2: “What if they never talk about the problem I’m trying to solve?” Question #3: “How do I put these into a survey?” Part 3: FAQ Customer Interviews
Question #1: “How do I get people on the street to talk to me?” Getting Stories Customer Interviews
Question #1: The Approach FAQ Customer Interviews If you’re approached on the street, your typical response is probably either: 
 “No thanks.” 
 “I’m busy.” *Ignore*
Question #1: The Approach FAQ Customer Interviews But now the tables have turned. How do you get people to stop and talk to you?
Question #1: The Approach FAQ Customer Interviews According to a study by Langer, E., Blank, A., and Chanowitz, B. (1978) published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, a researcher approached a line of people waiting for a photocopier and asked: “Excuse me, I have five pages. Could I use the copier next?” with a 60% success rate. Not bad!
Question #1: The Approach FAQ Customer Interviews But when the researcher added the phrase “because I’m in a rush,” the number soared from 60 percent to 94 percent! Totally awesome!
Question #1: The Approach FAQ Customer Interviews But here’s the thing. They ran the experiment again. This time asking “May I use the Xerox machine, because I have to make copies.” 
 How many people do you think said yes to this silly request?
Question #1: The Approach FAQ Customer Interviews 93%. A mere 1% less than when you gave a real reason. 

Question #1: The Approach FAQ Customer Interviews The secret word here is “because.” Even if your “because clause” is meaningless, simply using the word will bypass peoples’ natural defenses.
Question #1: The Approach FAQ Customer Interviews So try opening with 
 “Excuse me, I’m working on a project and I was wondering if I could ask you a few quick questions.” “Working on a project” doesn’t MEAN anything... but behavioral psychology says that’s apparently okay.
Question #2: “What if they won’t talk about the problem I’m trying to solve?” Getting Stories Customer Interviews
Question #2: Not Cooperating FAQ Customer Interviews Remember Rule #2? “Pull, Don’t Push” If they won’t talk about the problem you are trying to solve without prompting... If you can’t get them to independently say “Hey, you know what sucks? This thing!” Then maybe...
Question #2: Not Cooperating FAQ Customer Interviews It’s not that big of a problem for them.
Question #2: Not Cooperating FAQ Customer Interviews If you’re not solving a “Top 3 Problem” chances are... They’re not going to care about your product. They’re not going to pay for your product.
Question #2: Not Cooperating FAQ Customer Interviews So instead, explore into the problems they ARE talking about.
What have we learned? Wrapping up Customer Interviews 1. The rules for a good customer interview 2. Good techniques to get stories 3. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I learn more? Wrapping up Customer Interviews Enjoy this? Want to learn even more? We’re writing a book: Pre-Agile Methodologies: A Tactical Guide To Not Building The Best Wrong Thing. Go to http://bit.ly/PreAgileBook to never build the wrong thing again.
So what’s next? Wrapping up Customer Interviews Go forth. Interview. Build great products.

More Related Content

PDF
The power of creative collaboration
byTable19
 
PDF
The Hierarchy of Engagement
byGreylock Partners
 
PDF
Strong but wrong
byVelocity Partners
 
ODP
100 growth hacks 100 days | 1 to 10
byRobin Yjord
 
PPTX
How to think like a startup
byLoic Le Meur
 
PPTX
Top 10 Learnings Growing to (Almost) $10 Million ARR: Leo's presentation at S...
byBuffer
 
PPTX
Startup Secrets - Game Changing Business Models
byMichael Skok
 
PDF
The Pixar Way: 37 Quotes on Developing and Maintaining a Creative Company (fr...
byPalo Alto Software
 
The power of creative collaboration
byTable19
 
The Hierarchy of Engagement
byGreylock Partners
 
Strong but wrong
byVelocity Partners
 
100 growth hacks 100 days | 1 to 10
byRobin Yjord
 
How to think like a startup
byLoic Le Meur
 
Top 10 Learnings Growing to (Almost) $10 Million ARR: Leo's presentation at S...
byBuffer
 
Startup Secrets - Game Changing Business Models
byMichael Skok
 
The Pixar Way: 37 Quotes on Developing and Maintaining a Creative Company (fr...
byPalo Alto Software
 

What's hot

PDF
The Future of Everything
byCharbel Zeaiter
 
PDF
What is-agile henrik kniberg august 20 2013
byRichard P. Doerer
 
PDF
25 Need-to-Know Marketing Stats
bycontently
 
PDF
Crap. The Content Marketing Deluge.
byVelocity Partners
 
PDF
The Science of Story: How Brands Can Use Storytelling To Get More Customers
byDigital Surgeons
 
PPTX
Buyer Centric Funnel Design
byDavid Skok
 
PDF
SXSW 2016 takeaways
byHavas
 
PDF
How to Rock SXSW
byGary Vaynerchuk
 
PDF
The Designer's Guide to Startup Weekend
byIryna Nezhynska
 
PDF
How to Craft Your Company's Storytelling Voice by Ann Handley of MarketingProfs
byMarketingProfs
 
PDF
SlideShare Experts - 7 Experts Reveal Their Presentation Design Secrets
byEugene Cheng
 
PDF
24 Books You've Never Heard Of - But Will Change Your Life
byRyan Holiday
 
PDF
Build Systems, Not Stuff
byAbby Covert
 
PPTX
Why Boards Matter: Building and Developing a World Class Board of Directors
byJim Citrin
 
PDF
Pragmatic Product Strategy - Ways of thinking and doing that bring people tog...
byJonny Schneider
 
PPTX
Product management foundations
byPooja T R
 
PDF
Lightning Talk #9: How UX and Data Storytelling Can Shape Policy by Mika Aldaba
byux singapore
 
PPTX
Startup Secrets: Wrap Up & Geoffrey Moore - An Insider’s Guide
byMichael Skok
 
PDF
People Don't Care About Your Brand
bySlides That Rock
 
PDF
Top 10 Social Media Tips For Financial Advisors
byFinworx
 
The Future of Everything
byCharbel Zeaiter
 
What is-agile henrik kniberg august 20 2013
byRichard P. Doerer
 
25 Need-to-Know Marketing Stats
bycontently
 
Crap. The Content Marketing Deluge.
byVelocity Partners
 
The Science of Story: How Brands Can Use Storytelling To Get More Customers
byDigital Surgeons
 
Buyer Centric Funnel Design
byDavid Skok
 
SXSW 2016 takeaways
byHavas
 
How to Rock SXSW
byGary Vaynerchuk
 
The Designer's Guide to Startup Weekend
byIryna Nezhynska
 
How to Craft Your Company's Storytelling Voice by Ann Handley of MarketingProfs
byMarketingProfs
 
SlideShare Experts - 7 Experts Reveal Their Presentation Design Secrets
byEugene Cheng
 
24 Books You've Never Heard Of - But Will Change Your Life
byRyan Holiday
 
Build Systems, Not Stuff
byAbby Covert
 
Why Boards Matter: Building and Developing a World Class Board of Directors
byJim Citrin
 
Pragmatic Product Strategy - Ways of thinking and doing that bring people tog...
byJonny Schneider
 
Product management foundations
byPooja T R
 
Lightning Talk #9: How UX and Data Storytelling Can Shape Policy by Mika Aldaba
byux singapore
 
Startup Secrets: Wrap Up & Geoffrey Moore - An Insider’s Guide
byMichael Skok
 
People Don't Care About Your Brand
bySlides That Rock
 
Top 10 Social Media Tips For Financial Advisors
byFinworx
 

Similar to 18 Tips on Conducting Killer Customers Interviews

PPTX
SaaS Generation Chile: Digital Innovation and Strategic Planning
byZachary Cohn
 
PPTX
Interviewing customers ProductTank Auckland
byRamanan Moorthy
 
PPTX
The Mom Test or How to Ask Better Customer Dev Questions
byJeff Costa
 
PDF
Customer interview @Lean Startup Machine-Amman
byIbrahim Faza
 
PPTX
Secrets Behind Those101 Questions Short Rev.1.31.10
byheekin36
 
PPTX
Customer development oxford 14.02.2015
byLino Velev
 
PDF
Doing customer development (and stop wasting your time)
byHans van Gent
 
PDF
9 Mile Labs - Customer Development Training
byZachary Cohn
 
PPT
Customer Service
bylk328
 
PPTX
CDI Founder Workshop Session 4 - Lean Startup Methodologies (Fall 2016)
byCollaboratory for Downtown Innovation
 
PPTX
Interviewing customers 101
byRebecca Rose
 
PDF
Customer Development - Identifying and Testing Startup Hypotheses
byHenrik Berglund
 
PDF
Everyones lying to you
byPatrick O'Malley
 
KEY
Customer Service with a SMILE!
bySCKESC
 
PPTX
Oh God, Not Another Survey: Building Extraordinary Teams and Improving Processes
byBrian Pichman
 
PDF
Lean Startup Conference: The Questions You Should Be Asking Your Customers......
byZachary Cohn
 
PDF
How to impress your boss and your customer in a modern software development c...
byWojciech Seliga
 
PDF
How to conduct design research interviews
byHJ Kwon
 
PDF
How To Actually DO Customer Discovery
byImre Hild
 
PDF
75 Best Questions
bypartha69
 
SaaS Generation Chile: Digital Innovation and Strategic Planning
byZachary Cohn
 
Interviewing customers ProductTank Auckland
byRamanan Moorthy
 
The Mom Test or How to Ask Better Customer Dev Questions
byJeff Costa
 
Customer interview @Lean Startup Machine-Amman
byIbrahim Faza
 
Secrets Behind Those101 Questions Short Rev.1.31.10
byheekin36
 
Customer development oxford 14.02.2015
byLino Velev
 
Doing customer development (and stop wasting your time)
byHans van Gent
 
9 Mile Labs - Customer Development Training
byZachary Cohn
 
Customer Service
bylk328
 
CDI Founder Workshop Session 4 - Lean Startup Methodologies (Fall 2016)
byCollaboratory for Downtown Innovation
 
Interviewing customers 101
byRebecca Rose
 
Customer Development - Identifying and Testing Startup Hypotheses
byHenrik Berglund
 
Everyones lying to you
byPatrick O'Malley
 
Customer Service with a SMILE!
bySCKESC
 
Oh God, Not Another Survey: Building Extraordinary Teams and Improving Processes
byBrian Pichman
 
Lean Startup Conference: The Questions You Should Be Asking Your Customers......
byZachary Cohn
 
How to impress your boss and your customer in a modern software development c...
byWojciech Seliga
 
How to conduct design research interviews
byHJ Kwon
 
How To Actually DO Customer Discovery
byImre Hild
 
75 Best Questions
bypartha69
 

More from Zachary Cohn

PPTX
Hyatt Talk: How Big Companies Can Be More Like Startups (Without the 'going o...
byZachary Cohn
 
PDF
AlignIT Training
byZachary Cohn
 
PDF
Pre-Agile: How To Stop Building The Wrong Thing Really, Really Well.
byZachary Cohn
 
PDF
Liberating Structures Day 2 Slides
byZachary Cohn
 
PDF
Liberating Structure Day 1 Slides
byZachary Cohn
 
PDF
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department: Facilitation Training
byZachary Cohn
 
PDF
Intro to Liberating Structures - Making Meetings Suck Less
byZachary Cohn
 
PDF
How To Facilitate Great Meetings - Results Washington Training - Day 1
byZachary Cohn
 
PPTX
Corporate Innovation: What Corporations Can Learn From Startups
byZachary Cohn
 
Hyatt Talk: How Big Companies Can Be More Like Startups (Without the 'going o...
byZachary Cohn
 
AlignIT Training
byZachary Cohn
 
Pre-Agile: How To Stop Building The Wrong Thing Really, Really Well.
byZachary Cohn
 
Liberating Structures Day 2 Slides
byZachary Cohn
 
Liberating Structure Day 1 Slides
byZachary Cohn
 
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department: Facilitation Training
byZachary Cohn
 
Intro to Liberating Structures - Making Meetings Suck Less
byZachary Cohn
 
How To Facilitate Great Meetings - Results Washington Training - Day 1
byZachary Cohn
 
Corporate Innovation: What Corporations Can Learn From Startups
byZachary Cohn
 

Recently uploaded

PDF
AnyDesk, The Leading Remote Desktop Software | AnyDesk, o software líder em a...
byTechMeetups
 
PDF
AI,Analytics, Digital HR, Agentic AI.pdf
bypgp25chinica
 
PDF
How to Buy Verified Bybit Accounts in 2026.pdf
bymarketing
 
DOCX
Important Asset To know About Buying Old or Aged Verified Bybit Accounts.docx
byTopSelleriTDotCom
 
PDF
How To B,u,y Verified Cash App Accounts – Understanding Safe Usage, BTC Featu...
byapasanilion108
 
PDF
rf_mccaffrey_stocksforthelongrun_revisited_online.v2 (1).pdf
byHenry Tapper
 
PDF
Andria Sergio - Known For Her Accuracy And Professionalism
byAndria Sergio
 
PDF
Best Websites to Buy Google Voice Accounts in Bulk.pdf
bySinea kumar
 
DOCX
SEO's & Digital Marketing Case Study 2026
bypalwasha57
 
DOCX
Buy Old Gmail Accounts in 2026_ Complete Buyer’s Guide
bypvasmmpath
 
PDF
Fraud Warning MOALA WALLET Exchange Exposed
byTraderKnowsReport
 
PDF
Securiport - Specializes In Civil Aviation And Intelligent Immigration Techno...
bySecuriport
 
PDF
KGA - Governing administration in a consolidated market
byHenry Tapper
 
PDF
Top Five Trends Shaping RCM in 2026 - Revenue Cycle Resources-HUB
byRevenue Cycle Resources-HUB
 
DOCX
Buy Aged Verified PayPal Accounts with 2+ Years History and Clean Record.docx
bysebastianparsonst8
 
PDF
Comments on Ultra Map Section II Multifaceted Second Edition.pdf
byBrij Consulting, LLC
 
DOCX
Buy Verified Paypal Accounts_ A Safely Complete Guide Usa.docx
bynicakala
 
DOCX
Buy Instagram Account Purchase_ A Safe and Secure Approach.docx
bybarbeymcdanielokczz
 
PDF
Iryna Rudenko: Follow the Money: How Investment Trends Define IT Niches (UA)
byLviv Startup Club
 
PDF
Serhii Herasymov: Expert sales in outsource companies: your technical special...
byLviv Startup Club
 
AnyDesk, The Leading Remote Desktop Software | AnyDesk, o software líder em a...
byTechMeetups
 
AI,Analytics, Digital HR, Agentic AI.pdf
bypgp25chinica
 
How to Buy Verified Bybit Accounts in 2026.pdf
bymarketing
 
Important Asset To know About Buying Old or Aged Verified Bybit Accounts.docx
byTopSelleriTDotCom
 
How To B,u,y Verified Cash App Accounts – Understanding Safe Usage, BTC Featu...
byapasanilion108
 
rf_mccaffrey_stocksforthelongrun_revisited_online.v2 (1).pdf
byHenry Tapper
 
Andria Sergio - Known For Her Accuracy And Professionalism
byAndria Sergio
 
Best Websites to Buy Google Voice Accounts in Bulk.pdf
bySinea kumar
 
SEO's & Digital Marketing Case Study 2026
bypalwasha57
 
Buy Old Gmail Accounts in 2026_ Complete Buyer’s Guide
bypvasmmpath
 
Fraud Warning MOALA WALLET Exchange Exposed
byTraderKnowsReport
 
Securiport - Specializes In Civil Aviation And Intelligent Immigration Techno...
bySecuriport
 
KGA - Governing administration in a consolidated market
byHenry Tapper
 
Top Five Trends Shaping RCM in 2026 - Revenue Cycle Resources-HUB
byRevenue Cycle Resources-HUB
 
Buy Aged Verified PayPal Accounts with 2+ Years History and Clean Record.docx
bysebastianparsonst8
 
Comments on Ultra Map Section II Multifaceted Second Edition.pdf
byBrij Consulting, LLC
 
Buy Verified Paypal Accounts_ A Safely Complete Guide Usa.docx
bynicakala
 
Buy Instagram Account Purchase_ A Safe and Secure Approach.docx
bybarbeymcdanielokczz
 
Iryna Rudenko: Follow the Money: How Investment Trends Define IT Niches (UA)
byLviv Startup Club
 
Serhii Herasymov: Expert sales in outsource companies: your technical special...
byLviv Startup Club
 

18 Tips on Conducting Killer Customers Interviews

  • 1.
    Everything you needto know in 100 slides or less* 18 Tips and Tricks on Conducting A Killer 
 Customer Interview Customer Interviews *The slides are short. It’ll go fast, I promise. Want to learn even more? We’re writing a book: Pre-Agile Methodologies: A Tactical Guide To Not Building The Best Wrong Thing. Go to http://bit.ly/PreAgileBook to never build the wrong thing again.
  • 2.
    Startups, SMBs, orF500 How Do Companies Die? Customer Interviews Step 1) Stop building what people want.* Step 2) ??? Step 3) Run out of money. *This assumes no tax fraud or other illegal activity. But if you had to learn that from a SlideShare presentation, maybe you should be in another line of work. Like working for Enron.
  • 3.
    No one TRIESto disregard customers. The Status Quo Customer Interviews Sometimes they listen to the wrong sources. 
 Sometimes the customers they’re listening to are no longer representative of where the market is going. And sometimes, like in the case of millennials, it’s a new customer segment that isn’t well understood.
  • 4.
    How do companieslisten now? The Status Quo Customer Interviews • Market Research Reports • Trend Analysis • Competitive Analysis • “Keeping up with the Joneses” • Intuition • Solving their own problems
  • 5.
    Stuff people don’tcare about Customer Interviews 1. Corporate initiatives 2. Internal Politics 3. Industry Trends 4. Features 5. Technology
  • 6.
    Stuff people DOcare about Customer Interviews 1. Having their problems solved.
  • 7.
    So how doyou know how to solve their problems? Customer Interviews
  • 8.
    ... How doyou even know what their problems are? Customer Interviews
  • 9.
    By talking directlyto customers. Customer Interviews
  • 10.
    Because it turnsout... Customer Interviews
  • 11.
    You are notCharles Xavier. Customer Interviews
  • 12.
    So why tryto read minds... ... when you could just ask them? Customer Interviews
  • 13.
    Part 1: TheRules to Customer Interviews Part 2: Techniques For Getting Stories Part 3: FAQ What do we need to know? Customer Interviews
  • 14.
    Rule #1: NoIce Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
  • 15.
    Rule #1: NoIce Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
  • 16.
    Rule #1: NoIce Cream Questions The Rules Customer Interviews The answer to the question 
 “Do you want ice cream?” 
 is always “Yes!”
  • 17.
    Rule #1: NoIce Cream Questions The Rules Customer Interviews What sane and rational person would answer “No” to this question?
  • 18.
    Rule #1: NoIce Cream Questions The Rules Customer Interviews But the answer to the question “Do you want this ice cream that costs $250?” might turn out to be “... No.”
  • 19.
    Rule #1: NoIce Cream Questions The Rules Customer Interviews Ice cream questions are when you withhold information and don’t reveal all the costs associated with a benefit.
  • 20.
    Rule #1: NoIce Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
  • 21.
    Rule #2: Pull,don’t Push The Rules Customer Interviews The goal of these interviews is to learn about their problems. You want to PULL information out of your interviewee. 
 You do not want to PUSH your ideas on to them. For example...
  • 22.
    Rule #1: NoIce Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
  • 23.
    Rule #3: NoLeading Questions The Rules Customer Interviews Subjects answering the question: “Do you get headaches frequently and, if so, how often?” reported an average of 2.2 headaches per week.
  • 24.
    Rule #3: NoLeading Questions The Rules Customer Interviews While subjects answering the question 'Do you get headaches occasionally and, if so, how often?' reported only 0.7 per week. [John Hayes, Interpersonal Skills at Work. Routledge, 2002 referencing Loftus (1975)]
  • 25.
    Rule #3: NoLeading Questions The Rules Customer Interviews You’ve suggested the answer is by the phrasing of the question You’ve lead them to where you want them... which is Push. 
 Remember, you want to PULL information out of them.
  • 26.
    Rule #3: NoLeading Questions The Rules Customer Interviews Decisions based on bad data are worse than decisions based on no data.
  • 27.
    Rule #1: NoIce Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
  • 28.
    Rule #4: PastBehavior vs Future Behavior The Rules Customer Interviews “How often are you going to work out at the gym next year?” “I’m going to work out 3 times a week, every week.” “How many times a week have you been working out?” “Uh... zero.”
  • 29.
    Rule #4: PastBehavior vs Future Behavior The Rules Customer Interviews “How often are you going to work out at the gym next year?” “I’m going to work out 3 times a week, every week.” “How many times a week have you been working out?” “Twice a week, every week.”
  • 30.
    Rule #4: PastBehavior vs Future Behavior The Rules Customer Interviews It is incredibly difficult and rare for people to drastically alter their behavior. What a person HAS been doing is a great predictor of what they will do in the future.
  • 31.
    Rule #1: NoIce Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
  • 32.
    Rule #5: ActualSelf vs. Ideal Self The Rules Customer Interviews “Please describe your diet.” “I eat mostly Paleo. Meats, veggies, nuts... a little bit of fruit, sometimes milk.”
  • 33.
    Rule #5: ActualSelf vs. Ideal Self The Rules Customer Interviews “Describe your last meal.” “We were in a rush to get to the Kanye concert, so I grabbed a slice of pizza on the way. After the show, we grabbed some Hot Dogs from a street vendor, then when I came home I had gummy bears and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”* *This example, unfortunately, is not fictional.
  • 34.
    Rule #5: ActualSelf vs. Ideal Self The Rules Customer Interviews If you ask someone to describe themselves, they will tell you about their Ideal Self. How they see themselves. How they want to be. Ask for a story about “the last time,” and you will discover their Actual Selves.
  • 35.
    Rule #1: NoIce Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
  • 36.
    Rule #6: NoPitching The Rules Customer Interviews “Would you use a shampoo that made your dog not smell bad anymore?”
  • 37.
    Rule #6: NoPitching The Rules Customer Interviews 1. Possible violation of Rule #1: There is probably more information they need to give a real answer. 2. Violating Rule #2: You’re supposed to be looking for (pulling) problems, not pushing solutions. 3. Violating Rule #4: Past behavior/Future Behavior 4. Violating Rule #5: Ideal Self vs. Actual Self
  • 38.
    Rule #1: NoIce Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
  • 39.
    Rule #7: “Nof 1” is Not Proof The Rules Customer Interviews “N” is a statistical term for sample size. “N of 1” means you have a sample size of 1. That’s not good.
  • 40.
    Rule #7: “Nof 1” is Not Proof The Rules Customer Interviews You’re looking for qualitative data, not quantitative. You don’t need to achieve statistical significance. 
 But making decisions based on what you learned from a single person is dangerous.
  • 41.
    Rule #7: “Nof 1” is Not Proof The Rules Customer Interviews Examples: 
 “I ride the bus. This product is solving my problem, so I know what I need to do.” “The guy on the bus said he doesn’t really care how long he waits for the bus, so we’re pivoting to something different.” “The woman at the bus stop said she always checks the bus schedule online before she leaves, so we’re definitely on to something!” 

  • 42.
    Rule #7: “Nof 1” is Not Proof The Rules Customer Interviews Any one of these behaviors could be representative of a larger population. 
 But, any of these behaviors could also be exceptions to the norm. Keep interviewing people until you’re hearing the same stories over and over and over again.

  • 43.
    Rule #1: NoIce Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
  • 44.
    Rule #8: NoSeeding The Rules Customer Interviews Jump straight into the first question. Do not tell the interview subject what your research is about. If you frame the context, they’ll answer within that context... which means they’ll try to give you the answers they think you want to hear.
  • 45.
    Rule #1: NoIce Cream Questions Rule #2: Pull, Don’t Push Rule #3: No Leading Questions Rule #4: Past Behavior --> Future Behavior Rule #5: Actual Self vs. Ideal Self Rule #6: No Pitching Rule #7: “N of 1” is Not Proof Rule #8: No Seeding. Rule #9: Stories > Statements Part 1: The Rules Customer Interviews
  • 46.
    Rule #9: Stories> Statements The Rules Customer Interviews “Have you traveled recently?” vs. “Tell me about the last time you traveled.”
  • 47.
    Rule #9: Stories> Statements The Rules Customer Interviews “Yes or No” questions: • Don’t provide deeper insights • Constrict the conversation • Don’t build rapport Getting someone to tell stories • Lets them lead the conversation • Reveals insights you couldn’t predict • Builds rapport and trust
  • 48.
    Once you getsomeone telling stories, it’s hard to get them to stop. Customer Interviews
  • 49.
    So how doyou get someone telling stories? Customer Interviews
  • 50.
    Technique #1: “Tellme about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
  • 51.
    Technique #1: “Tellme about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
  • 52.
    Technique #1: Tellme about the last time... Getting Stories Customer Interviews It’s hard to come up with “the best/worst time” something happened, but it’s easy to remember the last time. 
 And often, once they tell you about the last time, they’ll say “But that was nothing compared to THIS OTHER TIME...”
  • 53.
    Technique #1: Tellme about the last time... Getting Stories Customer Interviews “Tell me about the last time you travelled out of the state.” 
 “Tell me about the last time you went to a concert.” “Tell me about the last time you went on a first date.”
  • 54.
    Technique #1: “Tellme about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
  • 55.
    Technique #2: 5Why’s Getting Stories Customer Interviews Every time they make a statement, ask why. Use this technique to get to the underlying cause or to identify some root emotion. (5 isn’t a set number. It could be 3, or 7, or 12.)
  • 56.
    Technique #2: 5Why’s Getting Stories Customer Interviews “I want to start going to the gym.” Why? “Because I want to be strong and fit.” Why? “Because I want to be healthy.” Why? “Because I don’t want to die of a heart attack when I’m 40.” Why? “Because my dad died of a heart attack when he was 40..” Okay. That’s interesting! Now we understand their motivations. But why so many why’s?

  • 57.
    Technique #2: 5Why’s Getting Stories Customer Interviews “I want to start going to the gym.” Why? “Because I want to be strong and fit.” Why? “Because I want to girls to like me.” Why? “Because I’ve only ever dated one person.” Why? Because I’m not good at connecting with people on an emotional level.” See how their motivations diverged... but only a few levels down?

  • 58.
    Technique #1: “Tellme about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
  • 59.
    Technique #3: “Tellme more.” Getting Stories Customer Interviews Sometimes people will stop talking or end a story, but it feels like there’s more. Maybe it feels like a good place to end, maybe they feel like they’ve been talking too long, or they’re a little hesitant to share the next part. Simply prompting someone to “tell you more” will often result in deeper, more interesting stories.
  • 60.
    Technique #3: “Tellme more.” Getting Stories Customer Interviews “I went to Sicily last summer. I figured I wouldn’t end up sorting through a bunch of pictures, so I didn’t bother taking any.” 
 Tell me more?
 “I used to take thousands of pictures of vacations with my fancy DSLR, but I have never looked through a single set. So I just stopped taking pictures.”
  • 61.
    Technique #1: “Tellme about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
  • 62.
    Technique #4: “Whatdo you mean by...” Getting Stories Customer Interviews Another technique to get people to elaborate on something they just said. “What do you mean by ‘If it wasn’t for your horse, you wouldn’t have spent that year in college.”
  • 63.
    Technique #1: “Tellme about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
  • 64.
    Technique #5: “Howare you dealing...” Getting Stories Customer Interviews Does the interviewee have any solution to their problem right now? Does it do the job effectively? Are they happy with it? ... or are they ignoring the problem completely?
  • 65.
    Technique #5: “Howare you dealing...” Getting Stories Customer Interviews You can learn a lot by knowing how they deal with their problem today.
  • 66.
    Technique #1: “Tellme about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
  • 67.
    Technique #6: Silenceis Golden. Getting Stories Customer Interviews
  • 68.
    Technique #6: Silenceis Golden. Getting Stories Customer Interviews See. Wasn’t that a little awkward? People seek to fill silence. Look expectant that there’s more they want to say. 
 Let them be the one to fill the silence.
  • 69.
    Technique #6: Silenceis Golden. Getting Stories Customer Interviews Often this is when they’ll start talking about something you never thought to ask.
  • 70.
    Technique #1: “Tellme about the last time...” Technique #2: “5 Why’s” Technique #3: “Tell me more.” Technique #4: “What do you mean by...” Technique #5: “How are you dealing with your problem now?” Technique #6: Silence is Golden Technique #7: Walk away. Part 2: Getting Stories Customer Interviews
  • 71.
    Technique #7: Walkaway. Getting Stories Customer Interviews When you end the interview, the dynamic of the conversation changes. 
 If you’re having trouble getting an interview subject to open up, end the interview a bit abruptly. As you prepare to move on, make small talk. Often the subject will be much more relaxed, forthcoming, and you can continue without them realizing it.
  • 72.
    Question #1: “Howdo I get them to talk to me?” Question #2: “What if they never talk about the problem I’m trying to solve?” Question #3: “How do I put these into a survey?” Part 3: FAQ Customer Interviews
  • 73.
    Question #1: “How doI get people on the street to talk to me?” Getting Stories Customer Interviews
  • 74.
    Question #1: TheApproach FAQ Customer Interviews If you’re approached on the street, your typical response is probably either: 
 “No thanks.” 
 “I’m busy.” *Ignore*
  • 75.
    Question #1: TheApproach FAQ Customer Interviews But now the tables have turned. How do you get people to stop and talk to you?
  • 76.
    Question #1: TheApproach FAQ Customer Interviews According to a study by Langer, E., Blank, A., and Chanowitz, B. (1978) published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, a researcher approached a line of people waiting for a photocopier and asked: “Excuse me, I have five pages. Could I use the copier next?” with a 60% success rate. Not bad!
  • 77.
    Question #1: TheApproach FAQ Customer Interviews But when the researcher added the phrase “because I’m in a rush,” the number soared from 60 percent to 94 percent! Totally awesome!
  • 78.
    Question #1: TheApproach FAQ Customer Interviews But here’s the thing. They ran the experiment again. This time asking “May I use the Xerox machine, because I have to make copies.” 
 How many people do you think said yes to this silly request?
  • 79.
    Question #1: TheApproach FAQ Customer Interviews 93%. A mere 1% less than when you gave a real reason. 

  • 80.
    Question #1: TheApproach FAQ Customer Interviews The secret word here is “because.” Even if your “because clause” is meaningless, simply using the word will bypass peoples’ natural defenses.
  • 81.
    Question #1: TheApproach FAQ Customer Interviews So try opening with 
 “Excuse me, I’m working on a project and I was wondering if I could ask you a few quick questions.” “Working on a project” doesn’t MEAN anything... but behavioral psychology says that’s apparently okay.
  • 82.
    Question #2: “What ifthey won’t talk about the problem I’m trying to solve?” Getting Stories Customer Interviews
  • 83.
    Question #2: NotCooperating FAQ Customer Interviews Remember Rule #2? “Pull, Don’t Push” If they won’t talk about the problem you are trying to solve without prompting... If you can’t get them to independently say “Hey, you know what sucks? This thing!” Then maybe...
  • 84.
    Question #2: NotCooperating FAQ Customer Interviews It’s not that big of a problem for them.
  • 85.
    Question #2: NotCooperating FAQ Customer Interviews If you’re not solving a “Top 3 Problem” chances are... They’re not going to care about your product. They’re not going to pay for your product.
  • 86.
    Question #2: NotCooperating FAQ Customer Interviews So instead, explore into the problems they ARE talking about.
  • 87.
    What have welearned? Wrapping up Customer Interviews 1. The rules for a good customer interview 2. Good techniques to get stories 3. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
  • 88.
    Where can Ilearn more? Wrapping up Customer Interviews Enjoy this? Want to learn even more? We’re writing a book: Pre-Agile Methodologies: A Tactical Guide To Not Building The Best Wrong Thing. Go to http://bit.ly/PreAgileBook to never build the wrong thing again.
  • 89.
    So what’s next? Wrappingup Customer Interviews Go forth. Interview. Build great products.